We’ve all heard about the treasure of Oak Island.  For those not familiar, Joe Nickell gives a good account of the island and the various attempts to find the rumored treasure buried there.

However, Oak Island is pretty known.  Treasure hunters have probably bought up every shovel within 50 miles of Oak Island.

My gift to my readers, are these alternative treasure hunting sites.

I don’t have a secret map I found in a bottle, or any coded messages I bought from a strange man with an eyepatch and parrot on his shoulder.  Instead my insider information comes from the rare book “The Weirdest People in the World” by C.B.Colby.  The book, first published in 1965 is filled with ghost stories, urban,  legends, and is a fund of treasure hunting sites.  The words “Still waiting to be found” end many of the chapters in this book.

Just waiting for you and a shovel!

1.Louisiana (enjoy the gumbo)

“Little Versailles of Louisiana”, the home of Valcour Amie one of the “richest men in the South”.  During the Civil War with Northern troop advancing on the plantation, Amie with the help of one old slave buried his wealth somewhere on the grounds to hide it from the troops.  Amie and the slave both died before the end of the war.  The treasure was never found.  This story is that Amie at the time of the Civil War was a broken man, as each of his 5 daughters had died and he was now all alone.

Investigation shows that Amie, indeed was broken hearted, but because of the deaths of his wife, son and youngest daughter.  Also at his death in 1867 (after the Civil War), his plantation was sold off to pay his debts.  The plantation burned to the ground in 1920.

Did Amie’s plantation fall apart because he had a broke heart at the death of his daughters and is his buried fortune still waiting to be found?  Or did his home deteriorate as he has run out of money?  Did he truly die after the Civil War, deep in dept?  How much does a shovel and metal detector cost?

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2.Texas

Lavaca County is the location of a hidden trove of bricks of pure silver hidden by the Pirate Jean Lafitte.  It seems that Lafitte was often chased up the Lavaca River.  During one of these chases, Lafitte buried a treasure of solid gold silver bricks.  These were found later by a farmer, who for some reason only took home a few of the dirt covered bricks.  Later at home after the farmer washed off the dirt he discovered the bricks were silver. (The story does not explain why a farmer would carry home what he thought was a dirty old brick).  Sadly the farmer could never again find the stash of silver bricks.  The bricks await a new generation of treasure hunters.  With silver at an all time high, it might be worth heading down to Texas, enjoy the BBQ.

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3.Wyoming (The Lost Cabin Mine)

Three men, Hulbert, Cox and Jones discovered a rich vein of gold in a branch of Crazy Woman Creek in the Yellowstone Territory.  The three men dug a mine and built a cabin.  They also built a protective stockade to protect themselves and the mine from natives living in the area.  One day, Hulbert heard two shots and found his fellow miners had been killed by natives.  Hulbert buried most of the gold found and took only a bit with him as he escaped the attacking Natives.  Hulbert later tried to return with other gold hunters, but could not find his way back to the cabin and mine.  He died in poverty.  Rumor was that a later prospector found the mine and worked it, but was also driven away by Natives.  He also was unable to find the mine again.  Treasure hunters can find not only the mine but the buried gold!  My suggestion is take along a GPS.

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New York City

4.Rye Beach is the location of buried gold, hidden there by Captain Kidd.  Rumor is a farmer’s wife gave shelter to a stranger, who repaid her by filling her apron with pirate gold.

5.Croton Point (50 miles from New York City) is also the location of more of Captain Kidd’s gold.  There is marked on “old maps” a hill called “The Money Hill” because pieces of eight and other pirate booty was been found there.  Grassy Point near Peekskill, and other areas in the Hudson Valley, also hold more of Captain Kidd’s gold.  Obviously Captain Kidd was very successful, and didn’t believe in banks.  He also needed a better cartographer, since he never came back for so much of his booty.  Intrepid treasure hunters can enjoy digging in the area and I highly recommend a visit to the Old Rhinebeck Airdrome.  You can search for pirate gold from the cockpit of a 1927 bi-plane.

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6.West Point NY

If someplace is named Kidd’s Point, you had better believe Captain Kidd buried treasure there.  Despite the hint of the name, the treasure still waits to be found.  More Captain Kidd treasure is at Hudson’s Point also in the area.  I think Captain Kidd had enough experience digging he should have gone into excavation work.

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7.El Paso, Texas

Hidden on Franklin Mountain is the Lost Padre Mine.  The mine was worked in the 1700’s, and was pretty much worked out by end of the century.  I am not quite sure why, but it soon became a repository for hiding treasure.  Jesuit priests hid silver bullion at the bottom of the entrance shaft, and never returned.  (It’s amazing how many people never return after they hide treasure, if I buried silver bullion, I’d make sure I could come back to dig it up later!).  The mine is also full of  buried treasure including  Aztec gold and jewels.  It is thought that Juan de Onate, the founder of New Mexico, took care to cover up the entrance to the mine after hiding his riches there.  My advice, when you hide your treasure, don’t hide it so well you can never find it again. Meanwhile, I’m sure Texas sells metal detectors.

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8.Mt. Van Hoevenberg, New York

An ancient Algonquin map points the way to a hidden cave halfway up Mt.Colden that is filled with trunks of golden coins.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that the cave is guarded by a transparent scalp knife yielding 9 foot Algonquin Native demon ghost.  Skeptics ,or the extremely brave, can tackle the ghost if they can find the cave!

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Good luck treasure hunting!  Avoid, Native Americans (both alive and dead) and please use a compass at the very least.

(I didn’t even begin to cover all the treasure still waiting to be found, so expect a Treasure Map Two!)